Bellows for dry gas-meters.



G. HBELEY.

BELLOWS FOB. DRY GAS METERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAYG, 1911.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

UNITED srArEs 'rENr OFFICE.

GEORGE HEELEY, 0E rams, ERAncE, AssIeNoR T0 LA coMrAGmE' POUR LA EAB L CATION DES coMrTEURsET MATERIEL DUSINES A eazpor'ra s, FRANCE.

" I RELLows EoR DRY GAS-METERS.

To all whom it may concern l i Be it known that I, GEORGE HEELEY, a citizen of the FrenchRepublic and residing at 27 Rue Claude Vellefaux, Paris, France, have invented a certain. new and useful Bellows for Dry Grass-Meters, of-which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to the bellows of dry gas meters, and has for the object to provide improved arrangements of the membrane and its'method of attachment to the internal walls of the meter, whereby .the working of this type of apparatus is improved as regards constant correctness in measuring, the-absorption of pressure and 'permanent"gas-tightness-of the membrane.

In the greater number of dry'meters now in use the membrane forming the essential part of the bellows is folded aroundin such a' manner as to form a cylindrical sleeve the I ends of which are connected to two rigid parallel disks, one fixed and the other movable so that the membrane forms-a sort of cushion, the flexibility of which enables the -.movabledisk to alternately move away from and approach the fixed disk. Each of these pulsations causes a determined volume of gas to pass from the inlet to the outlet of the meter owing to the operations ,of the bellows and a suitable distribution arrangement; the motion of the bellows being transmitted-through gear wheels and other memhere to a mechanism for ,registering the volume consumed. These arrangements of the bellows are sub ect to varlous drawbacks. The sleeve formed by the membrane a can only be obtained with one or more seams according to the dimensions of the meter; these seams destroy the homogeneity of the .membrane and may be the cause of tears or perforations, which enable a certain quantity of the gas to leak through the membrane and pass from the inlet to the outlet of the meter without being measured. In the second place, during the motion of the movable disk the cushion formed by the membrane must necessarily become deformed and folded. Now the deformation varies according as the mot-ion of the meter is more or less rapid and according to the pliability of the membrane, which does not remain always constant, the pliability of this latter varying in.time and sometimes even with considerable rap dity under the fiz fpecification of Lettersllatent. Patented Aug, 20, 1912,

.la uc mn' filed MayS, 1911. Serial no. 635,584.

leave behind. As the deformations and folds are not always roduced in the same manner the-volume 0 gas corresponding to each pulsation evidently undergoes variations or 1n other words the measurement of the meter does not remain always constant. In other types of dry'meters the bellows is formed by v a plane or practicallyf-plane membrane fixed in place or connected. with:

out being stretched so that it can execute a pulsation on all sides ;of'its external fixed attachment rings each pulsation causingthe membrane to inclose a volume bounded by two truncatedvoonical surfaces -VVhen the membrane is arranged in this way its deformations are of less importance thanwhen it has theformqof a cushion, "but to pass from an extreme positionto the central position the .membrane .must necessarily fold on itself offering a resistance to the pressure of'the gas Thismovement of. contraction obviously absorbs aicertain force and consequently a certain "pressure.- the-other hand when the membrane has. passed its central position ittends to suddenly return to,

its original position and to restore the force absorbed by the contraction. It acts therefore like a spring which after-having been compressed to a certain amount whileofli'ering a resistance. to the. movement of thejbel: lows, subsequently i expands, exerting 42a thrust in the direction of this said move: ment. These successive contractions and expansions of the Imembrane produce ,un-

equal fatigue at its difierent parts and have also the effect of causing 'variation infthe pressure absorbed the .movement and consequently the pressure at the outlet from the meter. Lastly, there is a type of dry meter in which the membrane is adapted to assume and retain in all its positionsunder the pressure of the gas, the form of an annular cup concentric to the central rigid part of the bellows; in orderhowever that the bottom of this cup may be able to follow the bellows in its movementslthe membrane has to undergo pronounced folds and deformations injurious to its life and to the constancy of the volume which it can inclose.

The bellows forming the; object of the present invention is com I letely free from the above mentioned draw acks owing to the method of attachment andoperation of its membrane. The improved bellows is consequently a distinct advance in dry meters.

In the accompanying drawings which are given by way of example, Figure 1 is a ver- 5 tical section of the bellows according to the invention, one part of the figure showing the fixing rings of the membrane, Fig. 2 is a view of the joint to a larger scale, Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a meter containing'two w bellows constructed and fixed in position according to the present invention.

The bellows comprises a flexible membrane a the edges of which are of suitable shape butipreferably circular and are fixed in metallic rings there being interposed between the said rings 7) and the membrane a, joint pieces formed of a malleable alloy or other elastic material, which joint pieces have for their object to obviate any passage of gas to the point-s of fixation of the membrane a, without this latter being crumbled or cut during its movements by the fixing rings b. This arrangement, has among others the advantage of obviating any folding or cutting and enabling each bellows to be fixed in the meter by means of a simple soldered joint (i'VVltllOllt the heat developed during this operation being able to reach and injure the part of the membrane a in contact with the as, this part being remote from the place 0 soldering. To the'internal attachment ring I) there is fixed by a soldered joint 03 which cannot injure the membrane a, a metal disk e which constitutes the central art of the bellows, on which disk is attac ed a guiding arrangement and alsothc rods or other members which drive the distribution and the registering mechanism. a

' It is to be pointed out (and thisdetail constitutes one of the most essential features of the new bellows) that the flanges of the rings 6 which hold in'place the membrane a are not directed normally to the wall f of,

membrane itself is formed in amatrix which causes its'inside and outside edges to diverge and assume the inclination of the attachment rings 6 and at its free part a curvature having a development sufficient to. enable the membrane to execute its pulsations without ever being stretched between its two rings 6.

The inclination of the attachment rings 7) and the particular curvature of the mem brane a have for their object to avoid that the pressure of the gas which is alternately directed toward both faces of the said mem- 9 brane, should oblige this latter to bend in front of and behind its attachment rings. It

a will be seen that the inclination of the rings b compels the membrane to remain always bent in the same direction as shown in Fig.

1, whatever the direction of the thrust of the of the membrane.

at the places near the attachment I'1I1%S,

which latter in consequence are not su j ected to the shearing actions which are produced when the membrane is arranged in such a manner that it is alternately bent in both directions by the thrust of the gas. As for the other part-s,.those-constituting the bottom of the basin formed by the membrane, since their flexibility results from their distance from the attachment rings and their special curvature, enable this latter to adapt itself to each position of the bellows in the small degree necessary, without the membrane being at any instant capable of offering an appreciable resistance to the thrust of the gas or to act in the opposite direction to this thrust. The extreme sensitiveness and the almost complete absence of deformations and folds insure the constancy of the volume inclosed at each pulsation and consequently the constant exactitude of the apparatus whatever the degree of flexibility The bellows which has just been described has therefore all the advantages of the sleeve type of bellows from the point of view of sensitiveness of the membrane without itsdrawbacks resulting from folds and deformations. vantages of the bellows with a plane mem- It also possesses'all the adbrane from the point of view of the absence of seams and the correctness of measuring without bein like this latter subjected to stresses injurious to the life of the mem-- brane and to the constancy of the pressure.

The membrane a owing to its great sensitiveness does not offer any appreciable resistance to the thrust of the gas so that the pressure absorbed in moving the bellows is they move with'extreme sluggishness so as c not to curtail the life of the membrane and to keep within the fixed limits allowable for the absorption of pressure, the improved bellows may be given very small dimensions and stroke and consequently operate at a without risk of injuring the membrane or causmg an excessive absorption of pressure.

much greater speed than ordinary bellows The dimensions of meters provided with the improved bellows will therefore be much smaller than those of ordinary meters.

Owing to the small dimensions of the bellows the reduced amplitude of its movements' and the sensitiveness which it possesses owing tothe fixation arrangement of the annular membrane this latter is of a very small development compared with those of ordinary meters. This feature is very important, because the membrane constituting the most delicate and most vulnerable partof the meter, it is evidently of convtersPatent is I .1 1. In bellows for dry gas meters, the combination with a cupped annular-membrane and a rigid fixed circular part to which the,

' sequence to be able to diminish its size and increase as much as possiblethatof the rigid central part of the bellows which'is. not subject to deterioration. The above described arrangements may obviously be adopted whatever the number of membranes of the meter. f I

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to membrane is to be fixed by one of itsedges, of anv annular channel part fixed with-its base externally against said fixed circular part, and having its side limbs extending from its base at an angle other than a right. angle in the .direction of the adjacent edge of the membrane, and means for securing said adjacent edge of the membrane in the open endof saidchannel part, as set forth. g

2. In bellows for dry gas meters, the combination with a cupped annular membrane anda rigid fixed circular part to which the membrane is to be fixed by one of its edges,

of an annular channel part fixed with its base. externally against said fixed circular secure by'Letpart, and having its side limbs extending from its base at an angle other than a ri ht angle in the direction'of theadjacent e ge of the membrane, a'flat annular retaining plate fitting. against the inner face of one sidelimb 0 sad channel part a second fiat annular retaining plate pro ecting ginside said channel part and around which the edge of the adjacent portion of the membrane is folded'between the two retaining plates and also between said secondretaining plate and the other limbof said channel part, and means for fixing said channel part to said fixed circular part, as set forth. I-

3. In bellows'for dry gas meters, the combination with; a circular fixedouter art, and an-in'ner-circular part, concentric t ereto, of a cupped {annular diaphragm 1 lo'-- cated. between said fixed vouter and .inner ceiving andholding'the inner edge of said diaphragm therein, as set forth. v

In testimony whereof Iaflix'my signatur inprese'nce oftwo witnesses; I 7 I .GEORGE' I-IEELEY.

' Gnomes BONNEUIL. 

